Henry ziegler



- (No Model.)

H. ZIEGLERQ SOUNDING BOARD SUPPORT. FOR PIANOS.

No. 598,039. Patented Nov. 2, 1897.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY ZIEGLER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SO UNDlNG-BOARD SUPPORT FOR PlANOS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 593,039, dated November2, 1897. Application filed December 9, 1896- Renewed August 18, 1897.Serial No. 648,721. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY ZIEGLER, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Sounding-Board Supports'forPianos, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved sounding-board support which canbe used for pianos of all kinds, but which is more especially adaptedfor upright pianos.

Ileretofore the sounding-boards were secured at their edges to thesupporting main frame, which, however, was objectionable to some extentfor the reason that at those portions of the sounding-board where thesounding-board bridge is situated close to the edge of thesounding-board the tone of the instrument is less resonant than at thoseportions where the bridge is located at some distance from the edge.Pianos have been made in which the sounding-board was isolated en.-tirely from the main frame at the edge, but this has the result that thesounding-board makes transverse vibrations which produce a weak andshaky tone quality.

The object of my invention is to overcome the objections to thesounding-board supports heretofore used and to furnish an improvedsupport for sounding-boards by which freer and fuller vibrations of thesounding board are obtained and the vibrating portions of the boardextended beyond the soundingboard bridge.

My invention consists of a sounding-board for pianos which is supportedat the points where the bridge is located close to the edge by abracket-support that extends from the edge of the sounding-boardinwardly to the main frame, as will be fully described hereinafter andfinally pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a front elevation ofthe treble por tion of an upright piano with my improved sounding-boardsupport. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section of the same on line 22, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail section of my improved sounding-boardsupport, shown as applied to the sounding-board of a square or grandpiano; and Fig. 4 is a detail section showing the sounding-board supportheretofore in use.

Similar letters of reference indicate corra sponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, Arepresents the supporting main frame of anupright or other piano; B, the string-frame; O, the soundingboard; 1),the sounding-board bridge, and E the support for the edge of thesoundingboard, which support was heretofore made at right angles to thesounding-board and the main frame, as shown in Fig. 4.

In my improved construction the soundingboard support E is made in theshape of a bracket and extended inwardly from the edges, its middleportion being inclined toward the sounding-board and the stringframe,the upper portion supporting the edge of the sounding-board, while thelower portion rests ,on the main frameA at a point below or beyond thesounding-board bridge D, as shown in Fig. 2. The inclined bracketsupportE has the advantage that the vibrating part of the sounding-board beyondthe bridge is extended for the reason that instead of a direct rigidsupport a yielding support is substituted which permits thesoundingboard to vibrate more freely and fully than heretofore.

My improved bracket-support is of special advantage at those portions ofthe soundingboard where the sounding-board bridge approaches close tothe edge of the soundingboard; but it'may be extended around the edge ofthe entire sounding-board, as thereby the portion beyond thesounding-board bridge can partake in a freer and fuller manner in thevibrations of the sounding-board than by the construction heretofore inuse.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent As an improvement in pianos, the combination, with themain frame of a piano, of a sounding-board and a bracket-support for theedge of the same, said bracket-support ex tending inwardly from the edgeof the sounding board to the main frame, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as myinvention I have signed myname in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY ZIEGLER.

Witnesses:

PAUL GOEPEL, Gno. W. JAEKEL.

